Comments (13)

Mike Melville

July 25, 2012 at 12:29 pm

Being blinded by the occasional buffoon that uses helmet mounted lights. Why can they not direct the beams away, when someone else approaches?
The worse case that I experienced was in France, the Ressel. After ascending from depth, having clocked up a fair amount of deco, I retrieved my stage cylinder, that contained my deco gas, switched to that gas, then tried to change the gas on my dive computer, all the while being watched by some imbecile, who had three very powerful lights mounted on his helmet.

Steve S

July 26, 2012 at 8:47 am

I would have to say that my biggest complaint is coming across other cavers who don’t have proper basic equiptment. Just last month I was caving in Clarksville NY when I came upon a group of four. 2 guys and 2 girls. One girl was bleeding badly from cracking her head because she didn’t have a helmet. The guy who was helping her out of the cave had a helmet, but it was strapped to his back pack and not on his head. Then I got to watch him crack HIS head on the way past. That’s 2 completely avoidable injuries. It’s idiots like that that drive me nuts!!!

Tevis Kouts

July 26, 2012 at 9:01 am

using the term Spelunker in a derogatory manner, i.e. cavers rescue spelunkers, our forefathers wore the term spelunker with pride and without them we would not have descended to the depths that we have. Spelunkers Rescue Cave Tourist

Fully three quarters of cavers are too cheap to support the NSS by joining.
And 80% of those who do can’t be bothered to vote for its leadership, though that doesn’t deter them for criticizing what those leaders do or fail to do.

Jon

July 26, 2012 at 11:20 pm

Newbies who do a tight crawl with a killer light on MAX and then can’t understand why they can’t see anything when the passage opens up and they talk about wanting a “real” light. Geez folks conserve your batteries and your retinas ….. oh yeah what about the “the marked trails are just a guideline for klutzes” “NSS…what’s that? Hey you know of primo caves?”
And people wonder why some of us are so secretive….

Tony Schmitt

July 27, 2012 at 1:57 pm

Two things, Cave for Pay operations, that the NSS seems to support these days. And EGOS! Lots and Lots of Egos in the caving world. Those that talk dont know, those the know dont talk.

Jerry

July 27, 2012 at 6:54 pm

The utter elitism in the sport in the last ten years has become more than palpable. Now we can have our pictures taken with and get “autographs” from the “luminati” sorry I meant the luminaries of the NSS. Really?
You must have a gomex suit and the lightest vertical gear possible. Now we can’t even go into a 10 foot long cave without suiting up like were going to the moon. Then if wedo go to some event such as TAG we get to stand around and listen to all the self agrandizing and patting on the back that one can stomach. As for the comment on the 80% not joining the NSS, why would they when they are made to feel less than worthy if they haven’t been on any expeditions or had anything published. It is by far the elitism, but take heart, it isn’t just in the NSS, but it seems to be in every avocation you take up these days.

DC

July 31, 2012 at 7:22 am

If one is underground with friends on a regular basis, one has very little to legitimately complain about. Cave now; bitch when you are too decrepit to pull it off.

Club Committes – some folk get “On T’committee” – to further their own petty agendas.

Folk who hog t’showers and don’t clean up after themselves!

GATES on caves and petty leader systems!

JH

July 31, 2012 at 6:38 pm

Over inflated egos and cavers who “use” other cavers to promote their own notoriety (aka: THE BNC {Big Name Caver} BRAGGARTS: I went caving with so and so.) Also, cavers who don’t do what they say they will do. Example: I’ll help you dig. I’ll help you survey your cave. I’ll meet you for caving. On and on.

Jerry

August 3, 2012 at 12:35 pm

Gates.

I hate gates, yet cavers keep building them. It makes no sense.

They build something to keep themselves out. It is killing our hobby.

It is like the NRA supporting gun laws or Greenpeace supporting nuclear weapons.

Mudman

September 13, 2012 at 8:26 am

Cavers seem to have very bad pit manners. They stand at the very edge of the pit to look in, kick rocks carelessly into the pit while others are climbing, and seem to have little regard for their own safety and the safety of others. It mist be some badge of courage to stand on the edge of the pit an look in. “Look at me, I am not afrad”